A Heart's Lament
by The Musings of a Muse
Summary: Sometimes, all you need is a heart to get a miracle. A one-shot dedicated to LeFay Strent's 'The Blood Alchemist'


**Yes, yes, yes, I really should be working on my other fanfics at the moment, but I had to write these one-shots, I had to. They wouldn't leave me alone! So, these one-shots are not my own base, they're from **LeFay Strent**'s amazing fanfiction **"The Blood Alchemist"**. If you haven't read her story, then get your lazy arses over there and read it! Yes, yes, I know that it's long, yes, yes, I know that you don't have the time – wait, if you don't have time, then why are you reading this...? Mou, never mind. Ok then! Enough of my rambling, but, seriously, go read her story.**

**Current Most Inspirational Songs: Beautiful Girl by Broken Iris**

**Far Away by Nickle Back**

**You Found Me by The Fray**

**How to Save a Life by The Fray**

**New Divide by Linkin Park**

**Break Even by The Script**

**I DON'T OWN FMA OR ANY OF THE SONGS LISTED ABOVE.**

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**Lament to the Living**

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**~Taylor POV~**

_"I guess that it isn't that bad here. I mean, there's nothing here to be disappointed with." _Taylor ad long since gotten used to the airy tone of her voice that she had while stuck in her limbo of life and death in the gate. The tone was like a breeze, there, but not completely. Like a soft wind chime that came and went when the wind, blowing and failing, speaking, and disappearing, chiming then fading. _"Absolutely _nothing _to be disappointed with." _Growling slightly – even if it did come out a whole lot less like a growl and more like a wheezy sigh. _"It's so boring here, where there's absolutely nothing. Quiet boring indeed. I mean, I should technically be dead and gone from this world. Er, I suppose that this isn't exactly a world though, I guess that I'm stuck inside the Gate, talking to myself. Why am I talking to myself?"_

Taylor sat down, once again musing at the pale yellow-white glow that surrounded her body. It was quite the peculiar thing; she never felt cold, never warm, she never felt anything anymore. Truly, she should even exist anymore, both her soul and body had been traded in, ripped apart from one another, to pay the price for the Elric brothers' very existence. Though for some reason, she was still here, in the Gate, with nothing to do.

Sometimes, in her perpetual boredom, she'd wonder how the two brothers were doing. How were they? Did they still think about her? Did Ed propose to Winry like he did in the end of the second series? And that's was were she'd stop wondering, stop thinking all together, just shut off her mind. Even as numb as she was, even though she still couldn't feel anything, there was a tell-tale needle like prick at her eyes and a burning where her heart should have been.

Other than that, she'd wonder if Hughes had woken up like Truth had promised, if Gracia and Elicia had returned to their happy life with their loving father and husband. If Denny Brosh and Maria Ross had finally gotten married yet. If Jean Havoc had finally gotten over his horrible smoking habit. If Roy Mustang missed Riza Hawkeye. If the hot-headed colonel had forgiven her for causing the death of his most precious subordinate...

"_You know, Taylor, it isn't good for the mind to dwell on the past." _Taylor looked up, seeing her faceless companion leering down on her with his always withstanding smirk in place. Glaring up at Truth, she stood up to her full height, watching as Truth's outline fitted to her own, showing a shadowy figure of herself. She was too thin. Her hair was sitting in a matted mass on her back, all tangles and knots. Her clothes were still blood stained and her tattoos were a ghostly outline against her pale skin, bleached from time spent away from the sun.

"_Who's to say that we aren't in the past? So, is it truly that bad to dwell on the past if it's technically the present?"_

"_I can assure you, Other Worlder, that we are not in the past. We are very much in the future. Would you like me to show you the future that you could have had if you had not called upon my gate to come to this dimension?" _Eyes softening, Taylor looked longingly through the white expanse of the limbo world to stop at the slate gray Gate. Peering at the Gate in front of her longingly she moved a hand to rip her fingers through her unruly matted locks.

"_NO! I don't want to see!" _Truth gave her a cynical laugh.

"_Hont_ō_ni*_(1)_, you are an unpredictable human! Any other human such as yourself would have jumped at the chance to see the life they could have lived! Any other person would have loved to be deluded into thinking that their lives were normal! You and all those all humans from Amestris, I just don't get you. Fine, because you manage to amuse me, Other Worlder, I'll show what's happening with your beloved people." _Reaching out, Truth placed its forefinger and middle finger on the crown of Taylor's head, _"Now, you foolish human, you can see what exactly is happening in their world."_

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**Central Command, Amestris**

**~Taylor POV~**

"That bastard! Just because he got promoted to Major General*(2) doesn't mean that he can boss me around! I'm a Lieutenant Colonel now, not some newbie! Erg! Come one, Alphonse, we're going!" Taylor watched as Ed stalked out of Central Command, his younger brother following behind him sheepishly. She gasped, putting a hand to her mouth in shock. Alphonse was back! Alphonse was back in his real body!

"I'm coming, brother! Calm down, Mustang doesn't mean any harm ya know! Besides, you're just egging him on with that attitude of yours!"

_"Al...you got it back! You got your body back!" _Running over to Alphonse, she brought him in for a fierce bear hug, only to run past him, not stopping to hug the solid person she knew was there. _"W-what is this?! Why can't I touch them?!" _They were right in front of her, she should be able to touch them, to hug them again!

"_How soon you humans forget. You're not here, Taylor. You're only watching. It's like a movie; you can see the actors, but the actors can't see you. You're a spectator here, Taylor. Now, try to behave more like one." _Looking around for the disembodied voice of Truth, Taylor, for the first time, felt anger welling up inside her stomach.

"_Why did you bring me here, Truth? What benefit could it possibly pose for you?" _Shouting, Taylor didn't see how Ed turned to look at the spot where she stood, shouting at the sky like and idiot.

"_It's amusing, your fickle emotions. One gets quite bored, having nothing to do for millenniums at a time, and I find this to be an easy way to enjoy myself. All I have to do is use a petty amount of my omnipotent powers and I have entertainment for as long as the person's able to endure acting like a living person."_

**~Ed POV~**

Fuming as he walked out of Central Command, Edward couldn't help but wince. It seemed like any other time that this had happened, Taylor had been smiling broadly while laughing her lungs out at his temper. Now though, all he had was his brother trying to calm down and a hollow pang whenever he though of her.

Calling to his brother from over his shoulder, he smiled under his bangs, shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his black pants. He hadn't changed his style at all since Taylor left, albeit the chain around his neck with the Flamel hanging freely on his chest. He still wore his red coat over his black pants and combat-platforms – now with the addition of steel toes. He just hadn't had the heart to change his appearance, just in case Taylor came back. Just in case she was in her world instead of somewhere he couldn't reach her.

Stopping short, he could have sworn that he heard her laugh.

Ed touched the necklace that was wrapped around his neck by a thin silver chain. The worn metal was unusually warm, not just body temperature kind of warm, but like fired steel. Hot and dangerous, and yet, oddly comforting. Almost like it knew that it's true owner was near.

"Taylor?" He whispered quietly, looking around for any telltale sign that she may have been near. Straining his ears for any other sound that he could hear, he caught the sounds of what seemed to be an argument.

"_Why...bring me...Truth? Benefit...you?"_

"_Amusing...emotions...One...bored...nothing...millenniums...easy...enjoy...–self. Petty...amount...omnipo...power...entert...ment...endure...acting...living...person..." _Ed gaped, it was Taylor! Taylor and Truth were having a discussion as he stood there. Taylor was there! Right in front of him! But where? He couldn't see her. Still looking around for her slight form, Ed was oblivious to his brother's stare along with many other military personnel's.

"Brother, are you ok?" Al took a step towards Ed, hands held out in a helpless act.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry Al, I just though that I – you know what, never mind. Come on, let's go. We have somewhere to be today, right?" Laughing it off like nothing, Ed continued walking, sneaking a finally glance behind him as he walked away.

Now several blocks down the road from Central, Edward waited for Al to catch up to him as he knew that his younger brother would. Al was sure to have caught on to the reluctance of Ed's statement back in the courtyard of Central, and, if Ed knew his brother as well as he think he did then Al should be coming to question his unusual behavior at any time.

Ed himself was still reluctant to tell the formerly armor-clad blond about his impossible experience, thinking that Alphonse would think that he was crazy for even entertaining the thought of a ghostly Taylor being in their presence. It had been two years already since she had brought Al's body and Ed's soul back, and both brothers still refused to say anything about the matter. Roy Mustang had pestered them countless times about it; how Taylor had just disappeared during the Promised Day. Yet the two boys said absolutely nothing at all.

Roy had gone as far as to threaten Ed's position as a State Alchemist when Ed had refused to say even a mere word; fortunately, Hughes had stepped in to remind Roy just how much the boys had been going through and to tell them to back off enough to see their eyes. Roy had taken his best friend's advice, seeing himself reflected back in Ed's eyes; eyes of the survivors of the Ishvalan War. Not long after that, the former Colonel had invited the two brothers to go with him to the cemetery where both Riza and the 'heart' of Taylor was buried. Ed said heart because there was nothing to bury of Taylor except for her memory, her last feelings, and anything else anyone had to say about her. Both he and Alphose had taken the small funeral the hardest; it was almost like watching their mom be buried once more and the events after were similar for the two boys.

This brought Ed back to his first predicament; what to tell Alphonse. Al already knew that Ed was unstable around the mention of _her_. He had even resorted to not calling Taylor by her name and just 'she' or 'her' after seeing how mopey and depressed Ed got at the mention of Taylor's name. It was always '_she_ wouldn't want this for you, brother' or 'you're hurting _her _memory by acting this way brother'. Though Ed couldn't see the issue with grieving for his best friend and possible girlfriend? Edward blushed a violent shade of red, fitting in quite well with his coat. Well, they had kissed before, right? And it's not like Ed _disliked _Taylor, he actually enjoyed her company – a lot. So that counted, right?

"Brother," Ed jumped a little, turning to look at his taller – yet younger – sibling, "are you going to tell me what happened earlier?" Looking in his sibling's expectant face made Ed slightly guilty about the thought of not telling Al about his mini-misadventure earlier that afternoon. Thinking quickly, Ed finally decided on a way to tell him.

"No. But I'm going to tell you about a good friend of mine...Drawde."

"Der-aw-dee?"

"Yes, Drawde. Not be quiet and listen, he's a sensitive person," Holding his finger out knowingly, Ed turned a sideways look at Al, who in turn gave him a skeptical one.

"Fine, brother. Tell me this story of your 'sensitive friend'." Ed frowned at his brother's mocking tone. Maybe he should have come up with a better name for his 'friend'...

"Well, Drawde is an Alchemist, a State Alchemist, in fact. He's quite the amazing guy Nice, kind, heroic, selfless, tall, an all around awesome guy. Though, you would never have heard of him, being stuck at Central for the short length of time you've been a State, Al. Drawde used to live in a little town in the middle of nowhere, don't ask where, cause you can't get to it. Drawde and his younger brother, uh, Allen, lived with their parents until one day, Drawde decided that he wanted to become an Alchemist. He applied to become an Alchemist and made it, though, he was put under a bastard Colonel's care until he was trusted not to be such a lose cannon. That Colonel's name was Yor Ford, and how Drawde hated that man..." Ed simmered a little, almost letting his lie slip because of his renewed feelings of loathing towards the promoted Colonel. Even this morning, the day when they were going to go to their friends' graves, he bossed Ed around! They _always _met at Central to take the Major General's car to the cemetery instead of walking, except for today. The bastard may have been promoted, but his was still a bastardly bastard in Ed's book.

"Um, brother, you were telling the story about Drawde?" Ed smiled sheepishly, almost tripping over the lip of cement that was in front of him as he came out of his dark thoughts. Rubbing the back of his head, Ed took a deep breath and started again.

"Oh, yeah, right. Well, Drawde and Allen had many adventures during their employment with Yor Ford, and, one day, on their way back to Southern Command – that's where he was stationed – they decided to take a cab instead of walking like they normally would have. Unfortunately for them, there was quite the heavy load of traffic that day. Though, they had expected it. After all the two brothers were traveling through a highly populated area. Though, while waiting for the next taxi, they witnessed an explosion not even a block away. Now, being the heroic person he was, Drawde immediately took off towards the explosion, hoping to help as many innocents as he could. When he and his brother arrived though, all they found was a teenage girl sitting on the cement looking dumbstruck.

"The brothers took the girl back with them to Southern Command, figuring that she may have been an important witness to a criminal gang's activities. Now, after learning that the girl refused to talk, Colonel Yor placed her under the watch of both Allen and Drawde. Drawde was anything but thrilled at the idea, because, frankly, that girl pissed him off more than anyone else of the female species he had ever met.

"Through a series of even more events, Drawde came to like this girl, even though she was a bit strange and had a somewhat disturbing addiction to cookies. He came to like her even more than jut a friend; more than just a simple crush. After kissing her once, he learned that she planned to return to Drachma with her mother that had come looking for her earlier in their adventures––"

"Brother?" Looking upwards much to his annoyance, Ed met his younger brother's bored stare.

"Yes, Al?"

"Can you get to the part that I actually care about now?" Gaping at his brother's uncharacteristic frankness, Ed's face colored, realizing that Al had long since figured out his little white lie.

"Fine, fine, Al. No more stories. If I tell you what happened earlier do you promise that you won't think that I'm off my rocker?" Another skeptical look was thrown his way, "What?"

"Brother," Al let out an exasperated sigh, "will you please stop avoiding the matter and get down to it? I promise that I won't ridicule you – out loud, at least." Ed pretended that he didn't hear that last part that Al had muttered under her breath. Looking ahead of him, Ed saw Mustang sitting on a bench outside of the flower store, a bouquet of begonias, gladiolus, heather, hydrangea, stargazer lilies, red roses, and pink and white carnations*(3); the usual bouquet he brought to Hawkeye's grave.

Seeing Roy as a way out of his predicament for the time being, Ed stalled for a few minutes more, as if gathering his thoughts while watching and waiting until he knew he could speak his mind without having to answer any of Al's questions.

"Ok, what happened earlier; I think that I heard Taylor and Truth talking, or more like arguing. It sounded like Taylor was brought here, back to Amestris, by Truth just so that cynical little shape-stealer*(4) could have some amusement at her expense."

"You heard Tay––" Al was cut off as Ed quickened his pace to walk up and greet Roy, leaving his brother swimming in denial of the complete impossibility of Ed being able to hear Taylor when she was dead. Her body had been traded out for his and her soul had been traded out for Ed's. Both her physical and emotional essence had been lost to bring Ed and himself back, so Taylor shouldn't be at the Gate anymore, there was nothing left of her except for her memory! Al paused right outside of the flower shop, trying to absorb the information Ed had given him wile Ed himself continued on forward.

"Ah, look, if it isn't the dastardly bastard himself! What the hell was up with this morning, MG? I thought that we had both agreed to meet back at Central before journeying over here; and a note, really? You couldn't have called ahead or something? We were just relaxing back at home before this – well, I guess relaxing is a bad word – _crashing _back home after a long assignment, that _you _assigned us and we don't even get a heads up from you! Some superior officer you are..." Crossing his arms over his chest, Ed looked down at the seemingly bored man before him. Roy had changed a lot after Riza's death too. He now went solo, no team and no people besides Ed and Al as his subordinates. All his former crew had been disbanded to different stations with their own promotions and Mustang just hadn't had the drive to snatch a few more people for his own personal lap dogs.

That wasn't the only thing that had changed though; Roy's appearance had also suffered from the lack of ambition. His hair was a bit shaggier than Ed remembered it once being. The dark filaments having created bangs long enough in the front to completely hide his eyes from the prying world. His eyes had also changed; the mischievousness was gone from them, leaving them strangely empty and hollow without the distinct personality trait. Though, Ed mused, it could have been the bags under his eyes from many a sleepless night trying to meet his paperwork deadline. Just one more thing that had suffered from Riza's untimely demise.

"Are you done inspecting me yet, Fullmetal? I'm a busy man you brat, so if you wouldn't mind hurrying yourself and your brother up, I'd like to get going. I have more paperwork that's due tomorrow that I had _misplaced_." Glaring at the brat comment, Ed refrained from making a retort, knowing that it would ruin the melancholic atmosphere or remembrance around Roy if he had. During these days, Roy would often lose himself to his thoughts and past regrets that mostly pertained to Riza. Ed had asked him one time what it was exactly that he thought about the days that they visited the two graves – he had never asked again after seeing the solemn agony that was burning deep in their charcoal depths.

"Yeah, I hear 'ya, MG." smiling with his own melancholy, Ed raised his voice enough for his still contemplating brother to hear him, "Hey Al, let's hurry up and go get Taylor's flowers!" After a quick 'huh, oh, yeah!' from Al, the brothers walked into the store. A more genuine smile came to both boys' faces when they saw the young woman behind the counter.

"Hi'ya, Rose. We're back again. Do you have our bouquets?" Al walked up to the front counter, cheerfully chatting with the dark-haired girl. Ed meanwhile shoved his hands in his pockets, looking around the quaint shop at all the different flower types. It seemed as is the Reoleian*(5) girl had every single kind of flower in her shop. Ed had been very pleased to have heard for the first time he had come here to see that Rose had followed his advice when they were back in Reole; she had finally started to move ahead on her own two feet.

Wandering down the aisles of flowers, Ed stopped at a potted rose; it was a wonderful red color that reminded Ed of his own jacket. The crimson rose was bordered with a feathered white edge, Ed couldn't help but remember Taylor's smile when he saw the flower. The red color of her lips that would split open cheerily to reveal the white teeth behind them. It seemed that it didn't take all that much to make her break out in smiles. Ed's heart warmed at the sight of the flower, and, making an executive decision, he scooped up the tiny potted blossom and brought it over to the counter. Both he and Al's bouquets were already placed on the counter, waiting to be paid for and brought to their place of resting on top of Taylor's grave. Ed carefully placed the rose next to his own bouquet of apple blossoms, white carnations, freesia, lilac, and larkspur.

"Oh? Is it that day again, Edward?" Rose asked in her boisterous manner, though somehow making it seem quiet and demure for the time being.

"Aa, it is. Hey, Rose, how much would this"– he gestured to the blooming flower –"cost? I'm going to add it to the usual flowers." fingering the small bloom with his automail hand, Ed smiled genuinely at the small smile of a flower.

"Remind you of her, Ed?" Rose asked, sympathy coloring her tone. She had lost her own lover during Cornello's faulty religious movement, she knew what he was going through and how much it hurt. Though she was sure that the wound Taylor had left behind had scabbed over, Rose was convinced that it hadn't healed over completely.

"Yeah, it does, actually. It reminds me of her smile." Al looked down at the flower just as Rose did. He could see where his brother was coming from; the bright and pure colors did remind him of Taylor and her smile. Rose simply chuckled at the elder Elric's observation.

"Well then, it will cost nothing for you, Renkinjutsushi-san*(6)," Ed sputtered a negative, determined to pay Rose for the exquisite flower, but she held up her hand, and winking at Ed, she gave him the reason why, "think of this as payment for you're advice a few years ago. I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for you and your advice, Edward. I suppose this is also my own way of telling you to move ahead with your own two legs; watch the flower grow, watch her smile unfold, and know that she's smiling down on you, Ed. She's always been smiling down on you, now don't you forget that!"

**~Taylor POV~**

Taylor had followed the boys all the way to Rose's shop, smiling when she listened to Ed's story-lie and gaping when Ed confessed being able to hear her and Truth's argument.

"_He could hear me! He could hear me! Ha; in your _face _Truth! There's hope for me yet!" _Dancing a ridiculous jig in the middle of the sidewalk, Taylor couldn't keep the stupid smile off her face. After so long of not being able to even speak to anyone but Truth, she couldn't contain the joy of being able to communicate to her love interest. She blushed at the thought, the harsh onslaught of embarrassment catching her by surprise.

Putting a hand to steady herself on the nearby wall of the store, Taylor put her other hand on her forehead.

Erg; emotions. She had forgot how much she _loved _her emotions.

"_Geez, I can't believe that my emotions were ever this strong. It's probably a good thing that I found out sooner than later that I learned that my emotions are a bit more unstable now that I'm out of Truth's domain." _Pulling her hand from the wall, she kept the other on her temples, wincing at the vertigo she was still experiencing. She should have kept her hand on the wall for a while longer.

Stopping short, Taylor's eyes almost popped out of her skull; she could put her _hand _on the _wall_. She could _touch _the _wall _from the _physical world_. Excited by her new found ability, she grinned; yup, there was still hope for her yet!

Watching as the boys walked in to grab their flowers, Taylor contemplated a few more schemes to get Ed to look at her again; to see her again. Had it just been a fluke the first time? Or was it something else entirely? And, most importantly, could she do it again?

Lost in her musings, Taylor almost missed the trio leaving the flower shop. Snapping out of her thoughts in time to see them turn the corner, Taylor took of a a running, glide-like stride. She was fairly certain that her feet weren't even touching the ground, but she absolutely refused to look down in fear of the fact that there wouldn't be any feet there to see.

Rounding the corner, she panted airily, again realizing the fact that this body she was in acted differently than her physical body. It almost felt like she didn't need to breath. The air just went down her throat with a hollow _whoosh_; there wasn't even any relief attached to the action, just the rise and fall of her chest in response to the invading air. While in her temporary repose, a bystander walked right through her, like she wasn't even there. Taylor shivered at the unfamiliar feeling; it felt like cold air was stabbing at her lungs and heart, filling and blowing her essence all around, not to mention it _hurt_!

"_I feel like a ghost," _grumbled to herself, _"a very _real _ghost." _A snort came from the disembodied voice once more, booming through her ears like a surround-sound stereo turned up to the max.

"_Where do you think the myth of ghosts came from, you foolish girl? It came from those people who are able to see humans like you that were turned into a mere essence of energy and life. That was quite the entertaining era, what with a those fools running around 'hunting ghosts'. Now, keep moving, Other Worlder, you're about to come across something else minutely interesting." _Sighing in disappointment when Truth refused to explain any further, Taylor headed forward with the Elrics and Roy, following them through the rows of headstones. Looking down, Taylor read some of the names as she walked by; Mary Smith, Amon Ryker, Trey Manfet, Julia Westonshire, Riza Hawkeye, Simon Vancurt–– wait _Riza Hawkeye_? Ceasing movement completely, Taylor stared openly at the gravestone. She barely registered the fact that her's was roughly three feet to the right of Riza's.

Looking at the gravestone now laden with Roy's flowers, Taylor couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt run through her. It was her fault that such a great woman had died and died at such an untimely moment in her life. It wasn't the first time that she had blamed herself for something she had changed in the story line, there had been many other times too, yet none of them had entitled the death of a character.

"_Bradley needed you and Hughes needed information, isn't that right, Other Wordler? If you hadn't come along, then Hughes would have died instead of the woman whose grave you're standing at. Though I am Truth, the 'truth' of the world just can't deny the fact that it demands payment for being cheated out of the natural order of things. It's what the original speakers of Latin – the Latium – would have called 'quid pro quo' and what you alchemists would call 'equivalent exchange'." _Taylor scowled at the implications Truth had set with his offhanded statement. So, was it really the Homunculi that had killed Riza when she was talking with the Führer, or had it actually been one of Truth's lackeys – like Fate?

"_Truth! Are you saying that _you _killed Hawkeye instead of on of the Homunculi?! What purpose does that serve?!"_

"_Taylor, enough. Your concern is appreciated, but is not needed. I died in Hughes' place, that's a worthy reason to die in my opinion. I died for a superior officer and for a honest and good man. I came to terms with the fact that my death was a case of equivalent exchange a long time ago, I have no complaints." _Turning abruptly to her left, Taylor was met with the amber-eyed gaze of First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye. Stunned beyond words, it was all Taylor could do to openly gape at the ghostly figure of Hawkeye. Her tone turning just a smidgen softer, Hawkeye greeted Taylor, _"It's been awhile, hasn't it, Miss. Riley?"_

"_Y-yeah, it has, First Lieutenant. I'm glad to see that you're here as well, at least I'm not the only crazy spirit here, wandering around Amestris." _A smile graced Taylor's lips as she felt the prick of tears behind her eyelids once more. Even knowing full well that she couldn't cry those tears in her current form, Taylor tried her best to rub away the annoying prick. Looking back once more at Riza, Taylor saw an undefinable emotion in her eyes, and, now wary of what the lieutenant might be thinking, she was not at all prepared when the older woman stuck her hand out for a handshake.

"_Actually, Miss, I don't think we've met. I am Captain Riza Hawkeye, subordinate and adjutant to the Flame Alchemist and Major General Roy Mustang." _Smiling again, the tears disappeared from Taylor's eyes as she reached out her own hand to shake Riza's.

"_Hello, Captain. I am Taylor Riley. Apprentice alchemist to Edward and Alphonse Elric and ward to the Fullmetal Alchemist and Lieutenant Colonel Edward Elric." _After saying the customary 'it's a pleasure to meet you', the two women stood side by side in an oddly companionable silence. Taylor was somewhat troubled though; Riza's hand when she had shaken Taylor's own was much more translucent than Taylor's. Watching Riza out of the corner of her eye, she saw Riza lose even more of her color as time went by. Feeling the need to ask why, Taylor bit her lip in hesitation. She knew now that Hawkeye didn't resent her – even if it was from a military standpoint that she had come to terms with her death – and also knew that the newly appointed captain was part of Truth's amusement as well. It had seemed to Taylor that Riza had been able to hear Truth just as well as she had during Taylor's argument with it when she had first arrived at the cemetery.

"_You're wondering why I'm fading away, right?" _Catching Riza's eye Taylor blushed at have been caught staring. Nodding a self-conscious 'yes', Taylor turned her gaze back to her own headstone at the same time as Riza. _"It's because those who needed me no longer need me."_ Taylor abruptly turned back to Riza, but before she could ask the blond to explain, Riza continued, _"Truth brought me here for its own amusement. I came here for my own closure. Bit by bit I started to fade as I wandered around Amestris. Everyone who was grief stricken by my death slowly sought their own closure and my essence in their lives disappeared. As it was, my essence, or me as I am now, faded as well. Now, the only person who is still clinging to my memory is Shōshō*_(7)_. Even he is starting to let me go now. Once he does, there won't be anyone else to harbor the grief of my loss in their hearts, and my own heart's lament will finally be over."_

"_What do you mean by 'heart's lament'? Isn't your spirit here, I mean, watching the same things that I'm seeing?" _Hawkeye chuckled dryly at her companion's confusion, surprised that the girl hadn't seen the obvious.

"_If it were my spirit here, as you say it is, then why are you here with me, Taylor? Your soul has been traded for Ed's, your body for Al's, all you have left is your heart. We are the hearts of their memories of us, Taylor. That's what a heart is; a place where memories and emotions collect and are kept. Though, we are the physical representations of their grievous memories; their sorrows, regrets, guilts, and laments. As soon as those emotions are gone, we will disappear as well. All that will be left is a healed wound and a pure heart of joyful memories."_

* * *

Taylor was still mulling over the information Riza had given her long after she had left the graveyard. As it was now, she was sitting on the Elrics' couch as Al made dinner and Ed took a cat-nap.

She still couldn't believe that her heart was what was watching them and not something else. Not that she had ever really given a thought as to how she was there, but if she had she would have thought that it was a shard of her soul that was still left behind. Like, maybe it had been the female part of her soul that couldn't be traded out for Ed's, because, as far as she knew, Ed was most definitely a guy and not some girl in disguise.

Getting off the couch, Taylor started to walk around he quaint apartment. There was obviously the living room where she had been sitting earlier; two black leather couches, a recliner, two coffee tables and a huge bookshelf that spanned and entire wall. Walking over to the bookshelf, Taylor put her index finger on the first book she could find and pulled it out. Alchemy, it was about an advanced form of alchemy that was way over her head. Opening to the first page, Taylor dropped the book in shock; her arrays were drawn all over the page! Each once had been simplified and rewritten in a different formula but, all in all, her arrays were there! Snapping the book closed, Taylor took a shaky breath before looking at who was the author of such a novel. Exhaling when her suspicions were found to be correct, She placed the book back on the shelf, skimming her hand on the spines of the other books. Both Elrics' names had been printed on the front of that book with her arrays in it.

Taking her hands from the bookshelf, she walked over to the kitchen. Al was preparing a stir fry of sorts form the looks of things. Water chestnuts, pea pods, beef, and several other things were laid out on the counter top, ready to be added into the wonderful smelling broth Al had simmering on the stove.

"_Yum, that smells amazing, Alphonse. I never knew that you could cook," _striking up a conversation with herself, Taylor flitted to the cookbook placed on Al's left, knowing that he wouldn't answer and that she wouldn't get in the way because he'd just pass right through her. Though, while looking at the cookbook recipe that Al appeared to be following, Taylor didn't notice the way he stiffened at the sound of her voice, _"then again, with a brother like Edward I doubt that you would last long with him cooking. No milk in any meal what-so-ever, right?" _Chuckling quietly, Taylor leaned against the counter, eyes roaming over the small expanse of the kitchen.

A small wooden table that seated four, even though it had only two matching chairs, was placed just opposite of the stove and fridge, pushed right up against the wall. The stove was in the center of a small bar on the other end of the kitchen with the fridge on the left closest to the door that led to the living room. A three by three counter space separated the stove and fridge while another, longer counter space stretched off to the stove's right with wooden cupboards above it and below it. A sink was placed to the right-center of the counter right before a wall with a single four paned window. A doorway across from the sink led to a small hallway where the boys' bedrooms were placed right across from one another. The half-bath was at the very end of the hallway while the full-bath was all the way across the threshold past the living room.

"_You guys have quite the nice set up here. Two years sure can change a lot, can't it? I mean, your both published authors, have your own spread and are both recognized alchemists. I'm kinda jealous of the people that got to watch you guys go so far in such a short time. I still can't believe that it's been two years since I died, there was no such thing as time while I was with Truth, time was nothing, space was nothing, feelings were nothing, life was nothing. I'm kinda glad that I got to come here, as twisted as that sounds." _Pausing to draw a breath, Taylor shivered at the unfamiliar feeling that accompanied it. Breathing just wasn't natural anymore and it didn't feel right. Turning back to Al, she almost feel backwards when she saw him staring right where she was standing. As it was, she had to grab the counter top to keep herself upright.

"Brother wasn't joking, I can hear you too. You're there, aren't you, Taylor?" Looking confoundedly up at Al, she registered what he had just said.

"_WHAT?! You can _hear _me?! Wait – you said that Ed heard me earlier? And jeez, Al, don't scare me like that! But I'm so happy that I got to talk to you again, Al!" _Waving her arms frantically, she shouted her head off at the Elric brother before catching a wiff of the air. _"Al, you're stir fry is burning." _

"Gah! You're right!" Turning his attention back to the stove, he could have sworn that he saw her roll her eyes while smirking. He had forgotten the exact shade of green her eyes were; they were much more of a brilliant green than any of his memories served to tell him. They were shining with a happiness that he didn't know she possessed. It gave him great relief to know that she wasn't miserable in her death. Stirring him and his brother's next meal, Al finally had the closure he needed to start letting the memory of Taylor go.

"_I'm so glad that you can hear me, Al. I was starting to think that I was alone and just rambling to myself." _Waiting for a moment, her grin faded as she looked over to Al. He didn't show any sign that he had heard her at all. He hadn't made any attempt to give her a response either, _"Alphonse? Can you hear me––" _A jolt ran through her and a freezing air steeled over her. Choking on her words, Taylor grabbed the counter once more, watching as her hands paled significantly before her very eyes. A strangled gasp released itself from her mouth. Horror welled in the pit of her stomach as well as a deep set sorrow. He was letting her go. He couldn't hear her anymore because he had found his closure in her happiness.

"_Good for you, Alphonse, good for you." _Pushing off from the counter, Taylor left Al wondering if his conversation with his invisible visitor had actually been real or just a hallucination. Walking over to the table, Taylor sat down at the end nearest to the window. Cradling her head in her arms, Taylor couldn't decide what emotion she should feel at the moment. Both relief and sadness were equally as strong inside her. She was relieved that Al was getting over her death after those two long years of simply wondering if she was happy enough with her choice and sad at the fact that, sooner than she had expected, she wouldn't be needed anymore by him and all of her lamenting heart would disappear, making her fade along with it until all that remained were the memories in her loved one's hearts.

Her thoughts were quickly cut off by the sound of footsteps walking towards the kitchen. Ed appeared, his normal black sleeveless shirt and pants disheveled from sleep. A glint of silver around his neck had Taylor glancing at the worn Flamel on his chest. A melancholic smile washed over her face when she looked at the smooth piece of crafted silver. That had been one of her most treasure memories. Ever since the day that Ed had given it to her, she had never taken it off. It had become a part of her life just as Ed had, and now, seeing him with it on, Taylor couldn't help but wonder just how big of a part she had been in Ed's own life.

Taylor looked on, still caught up in her memories as Al greeted his brother from his nap and Ed commented on how good the stir fry smelled. She didn't come out of her thoughts until Ed sat down across from her, looking lost in though likened to the one she imagined her own to have been not minutes before. Before Ed even opened his mouth, Taylor felt the cold grip grasp her once more. Though it was only when he spoke that she lost another shade.

"Hey, Al, what do you say we make brownies after dinner?"

With that statement, Taylor watched herself fade away from the brother's lives with their increasingly genuine smiles.

* * *

Weeks past since the first day Taylor had saw Ed and Al again in her lamenting state. She had taken to staying in either the living room – where she had found her notebook and was constantly flipping through it – to alternating between hanging out in either guy's room. At the moment, she was literally watching plants grow as she stared at the potted rose Ed had bought that first day. Everyday since then Taylor had watched each brother eater the innocent looking rose; every time they did, she faded just a little bit more, and now, as she watched Ed water the flower once more, another layer of color slipped from her grasp.

She was pale enough to the point where she couldn't even see herself in the mirror anymore.

"_I'm going to disappear soon, Ed. Do you know that? Do you know that you're leaving me behind by letting me go? Of course you don't you can't hear me anymore." _She sighed, watching from the kitchen table with mournful eyes as Ed scribbled a note to his brother who was still sleeping. It was four in the morning. Oh, didn't she mention? As a 'lamenting heart' she didn't need to sleep, so she was up twenty-four-seven. Taylor was finally understanding how Al used to feel; being stuck inside that suit of armor for so long.

She continued to watch Ed's sharp penmanship before she actually got caught hold of the idea that had been nagging her as she watched; maybe she could write a note. After all, she had been able to touch other inanimate things around the house, so why should a pen be any different?

Waiting until Ed had grabbed his pocket watch from the counter, she got up and grabbed the pad of paper as well as the pen ed had been using. Ripping off the note Ed had written to Al – that told was reminding him to go grocery shopping since it was his day off – she placed it near the rose where he was sure to look. The rose was almost in full bloom, and Taylor knew that she would be gone before the rose made its way to the peak of its bloom.

Walking to the couch in the living room, Taylor tapped the back end of the pen to the blue lined pages of the notepad. How to start off? Thinking back on the emotions she had felt being with the Elrics, Taylor mustered up the courage to start off her last note for the people who had made her life unimaginably amazing:

_My life with you guys has been unimaginably amazing, and I can't tell you how __much it means to me to hear how well you're doing. Believe it or not, I've been with you __guys for these past sixteen days..._

* * *

Writing on end for days straight, Taylor had no mind for time. She wrote down all the emotions she had ever had with the Elrics, all the thoughts that had ever run through her mind, the good, the bad, the terrified, the amazed. She wrote down all her secrets, how everything had gone in her life before and after she had met them. She told them about how she had met and spoken with Hawkeye, how she had actually been there with them as they put flowers on her grave. She explained how she was here, telling them that as soon as they had found their complete closure the last regrets that were her body in this world would disappear and all that would be left was her pure heart, beating in time with their own in their memories. She explained how she didn't know where she stood with Ed, though wished that they could have had a little more time so that they could have become something more than what they were. She wished both of them well and told them to move on in their lives. She wrote about everything that was supposed to have happened without her interference, though she quickly corrected her self by saying that she was insanely happy to ever had the chance to interfere and become part of their lives.

That's were the pen dropped out of her hand.

Her limb had completely disappeared, leaving nothing more than a shimmering outline. Taylor finally took the time to look at herself; she was all but gone. Grabbing the notepad with her good hand, Taylor made her way over to the rose in the kitchen once more. The plant had grown larger, the bud hours away from opening. Setting the long series of notes alongside the plant, Taylor tried to swallow past the lump forming in her throat, only to sob heavily instead. Falling to her knees, Taylor sobbed on the ground, letting go of all the emotions she had ever harbored. Shaking her head, Taylor didn't hear the door open, or the idle chatter between the two blonds entering stop completely. She did hear the calls of her name that rang through the silence. Looking up with prickling eyes, Taylor saw hazel and gold eyes staring at her before both of their arms were wrapped around her.

"_E-Ed, A-Al! Y-you can _see _me?" _Sitting on the floor with their arms wrapped around her, Taylor watched as the petals on the rose started to unfold.

"Of course we can see you, you idiot! How could we not?! You're sitting on our floor, bawling your eyes out!" Ed's grip around her tightened, and Taylor in turn buried her head in his chest, not wanting to see her second departing unfold before her eyes.

"_B-but you couldn't see me earlier! I called to you guys so many times!"_

"We always saw glimpses of you, your eyes, your hair, we saw them all over the place, all the time! We thought that we were just seeing things!" Al's voice was muffled by her hair, but she could still hear him. Taylor didn't even know that she had started crying before she felt the tears dropping off of her face. Throwing her arms around the two, she started bawling harder.

"_I-I'm s-so glad t-that I got to s-see you guys a-again! I've m-missed you so m-much!" _Ssh-ing their friend, the two boys barely heard her next words, _"I'm so glad I got to see you again before I had to go."_

"You can't go though! You just got here! You just got here from where ever you've been!" Al was shocked speechless, but Ed was still fighting to keep her there, even though she was disappearing right before his eyes. Pushing herself out of their grasp, Taylor gave them a smile that made all of their arguments disappear.

"_I'm not going anywhere, I've always been here and I always will. I'm so happy, so, so happy. I love you guys so much, so, so much. Please don't ever forget me, ok? I promise that I'll come back, so just wait for me. I'm giving my heart to you guys, so please keep it safe until I can find it again, ok? Aishiteru, and, sayonara*_(8)._"_

Taylor's form disappeared from view, just as the last rose petal unfurled. Finally showing the two shell-shocked boys the smile they had seen not moments ago on Taylor's true face.

* * *

_...Ed, Al,I get it now, and I'm forgiving myself. I don't need to hold on anymore __to my memories of you because I'm leaving my heart behind with you. I can't say how __long it will take for me to find you guys again, or for you guys to find me again, but, I __promise that I will find you. I wasn't kidding when I said I was happy, by the way. I really __am. I found closure for myself, and, I've found that all of my own laments are gone. I __guess that the only thing holding me back was only myself._

_Take good care of your memories of me, they're all that's left of who I used to be. _

_Keep youselves safe and move ahead with your own two feet,_

_Taylor Riley_

* * *

__**1.) Hontoni: Meaning 'really' or 'truly'; to me it just seemed more like something that Truth would say instead of the English translation.**

**2.) Major General: In chapter 108 of the manga, Mustang was promoted to General. I figured after all of the chaos of the Promised Day everyone would get promoted; hence the reason Ed is a Lieutenant Colonel now.**

**3.) "Bouquet of begonias, gladiolus, heather, hydrangea, stargazer lilies, red roses, and pink and white carnations": I chose these flowers for their meanings: Begonias for deep thought, Gladiolus for strength of character, Heather for solitude, Hydrangea for perseverance, Stargazer Lilies for ambition, Red Roses for love(obviously), Pink Carnations for gratitude and White Carnations for remembrance.**

**4.) Shape-stealer: On Truth's wiki page it says that he takes the outlined shape of the person before it, so that's why that's there.**

**5.) Reole: Also called Liore in both animes.**

**6.) Renkinjutsushi-san: Basically, Rose just called him 'Mr. Alchemist'.**

**7.) Shosho: 'Major General'. Riza calling Mustang in English just didn't seem to fit, so she called him in Japanese. **

**8.) "Aishiteru and Sayonara": Basically saying 'I love you' in the most powerful way one can in Japan as well as saying 'goodbye for a long time' or 'goodbye for the final time'. 'Goodbye' in general.**

**Well, that took longer than I though it would. It's also fourteen pages long; so tell me what you think. I might go back and change the ending, I'm not sure how much I'm liking it at the moment. Oh, and that last little piece there was the very last paragraph of Taylor's long, long, looooong letter to the brothers. Anyways, if you read this, LeFay and Taylor, let me know what you thought of it, ok?**

**I am now going to get some much needed sleep; it's three sixteen A.M. and I have to get up at eight something tomor- er, _today._**

**__So, see you guys later. The first one-shot of NaLu and 101R will be coming out next!**


End file.
